B.C. Mounties say porn ransom demand is a scam

If you’re enjoying some risque viewing online, carry on — because that ransom threat connected to your love of watching sex on the web is a scam,

Kamloops Mounties are warning the public of an email scam that asks for a ransom of Bitcoin in exchange for keeping quiet about the victim’s alleged viewing of explicit material on the internet.

Numerous reports have been made to the local police detachment from people receiving an email from a scammer stating they have proof the victim has been viewing pornography online.

The fraudster threatens to email the “proof” to all of the contacts in the victim’s email account unless the victim pays $7,000 in Bitcoin.

In many cases, the fraudster includes the person’s correct email password, which is an an alarming detail of the scam, according to Cpl. Jodi Shelkie.

“Whether they have your current or a past password, it is still a scam”, Shelkie said. “Ignore the email, change your password immediately and, most importantly, do not pay any money in Bitcoin or any other form of payment.”

She said everyone should ensure they use unique and secure passwords for all of their accounts and that they change their passwords on a regular basis.

There are password managers that will automatically check your passwords to see if they have been revealed in a breach and help you create unique, secure ones for every site.

If there is an attachment included with the email scam, Mounties advise people to refrain from opening it as email attachments are one of the primary methods hackers use to install malware on computers.